Laccase Engineering: Redox Potential Is Not the Only Activity-Determining Feature in the Metalloproteins.

Laccase, one of the metalloproteins, belongs to the multicopper oxidase family. It oxidizes a wide range of substrates and generates water as a sole by-product. The engineering of laccase is important to broaden their industrial and environmental applications. The general assumption is that the low redox potential of laccases is the principal obstacle, as evidenced by their low activity towards certain substrates. Therefore, the primary goal of engineering laccases is to improve their oxidation capability, thereby increasing their redox potential. Even though some of the determinants of laccase are known, it is still not entirely clear how to enhance its redox potential. However, the laccase active site has additional characteristics that regulate the enzymes' activity and specificity. These include the electrostatic and hydrophobic environment of the substrate binding pocket, the steric effect at the substrate binding site, and the orientation of the binding substrate with respect to the T1 site of the laccase. In this review, these features of the substrate binding site will be discussed to highlight their importance as a target for future laccase engineering.

Detection of truncated isoforms of human neuroserpin lacking the reactive center loop: Implications in noninhibitory role.

Neuroserpin is a serine protease inhibitor expressed mainly in the brain and at low levels in other tissues like the kidney, testis, heart, and spinal cord. It is involved in the inhibition of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), plasmin, and to a lesser extent, urokinase-type plasminogen (uPA). Neuroserpin has also been shown to plays noninhibitory roles in the regulation of N-cadherin-mediated cell adhesion. It is involved in neuroprotection from seizure and stroke through tPA-mediated inhibition and also through its other protease targets. Mutations in critical domains of neuroserpin lead to its polymerization and neuronal death. In this study, a novel truncated isoform of human neuroserpin was identified in the brain and liver, which was confirmed by reverse transcriptase-PCR and DNA sequencing using exon-specific primers. Structural characterization of novel isoform using MD simulations studies indicated that it lacks the reactive center loop (RCL) but largely maintains its secondary structure fold. The novel truncated variant was cloned, expressed, and purified. A comparative intrinsic fluorescence and 4,4'-bis-1-anilino naphthalene 8-sulfonate studies revealed a decrease in fluorescence emission intensity and a more exposed hydrophobic surface as compared to the reported isoform. However, the novel isoform has lost its ability for tPA inhibition and complex formation. The absence of RCL indicates a noninhibitory role for the truncated isoform, prompting a detailed search and identification of two smaller isoforms in the human brain. With indications of the noninhibitory role of neuroserpin, identifying novel isoforms that appear to be without the tPA recognition domain is significant.

Enzyme engineering: Reshaping the biocatalytic functions.

Enzyme engineering is a powerful tool to fine-tune the enzymes. It is a technique by which the stability, activity, and specificity of the enzymes can be altered. The characteristic properties of an enzyme can be amended by immobilization and protein engineering. Among them, protein engineering is the most promising, as in addition to amending the stability and activity, it is the only way to modulate the specificity and stereoselectivity of enzymes. The current review sheds light on protein engineering and the approaches applied for it on the basis of the degree of knowledge of structure and function of enzymes. Enzymes, which have been engineered are also discussed in detail and categorized on the basis of their respective applications. This will give a better insight into the revolutionary changes brought by protein engineering of enzymes in various industrial and environmental processes.

Identification and expression of alternatively spliced novel isoforms of cancer associated MYD88 lacking death domain in mouse.

MYD88 is an adaptor protein known to involve in activation of NF-κB through IL-1 receptor and TLR stimulation. It consists of N-terminal death domain and C-terminal Toll/IL-R homology domain that mediates its interaction with IL-1R associated kinase and IL-1R/TLR, respectively. MYD88 contributes to various types of carcinogenesis due to its involvement in oncogene induced inflammation. In the present study, we have recognized two new alternatively spliced variants of MyD88 gene in mouse using bioinformatics tools and molecular biology techniques in combination. The newly identified non-coding exon (NE-1) from 5' upstream region alternatively splices with either exon E-2 or exon E-5 to produce two novel transcript variants MyD88N1 and MyD88N2 respectively. The transcript variant MyD88N1 was expressed in several tissues studied while the variant MyD88N2 was found to be expressed only in the brain. The analysis of the upstream region of novel exon by in silico approach revealed new promoter region PN, which possess potential signature sequences for diverse transcription factors, suggesting complex gene regulation. Studies of post translational modifications of conceptualized amino acid sequences of these isoforms revealed diversity in properties. Western blot analysis further confirmed the expression of protein isoform MYD88N1.

Identification of two novel isoforms of mouse NUR77 lacking N-terminal domains.

Nur77 is a member of nuclear receptor superfamily that acts as a transcription factor and regulates expression of multiple genes. Subcellular localization of Nur77 protein plays an important role in the survival and cell death. In this study, we have predicted and confirmed alternatively spliced two new transcripts of Nur77 gene in mouse. The newly identified transcripts have their alternatively spliced first exon located upstream of published 5'-UTR of the gene. Transcription factor binding sites in the possible promoter regions of these transcripts were also analyzed. Expression of novel transcript variants was found to be significantly lower than the already published transcript. New transcript variants encode for NUR77 protein isoforms which are significantly smaller in size due to lack of transactivation domain and a part of DNA binding domain. Western blot analysis using NUR77 specific antibody confirmed the existence of these smaller variants in mouse. Localization of these new isoforms was predicted to be majorly outside the nucleus. In silico analysis of the conceptually translated proteins was performed using different bioinformatics tools. The results obtained in this study offer further insight into novel area of research on extensively studied Nur77. © 2017 IUBMB Life, 69(2):106-114, 2017.

Identification of differentially expressed three novel transcript variants of mouse ARNT gene.

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator (ARNT/HIF1-ß) is an obligatory transcriptional partner of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α). It has a basic helix-loop-helix domain that belongs to period-ARNT-single-minded (PAS) protein family. PAS proteins act as heterodimeric transcription factors with ARNT being master dimerization partner. The ARNT-HIF-1α complex is an important transcriptional regulator of the hypoxic response of the tumor cells. Previous studies have reported two transcript variants of the gene produced by alternative splicing in mouse. One transcript variant contains all 22 exons while the other variant lacks exon-E5. In our study, using combinatorial approach comprising bioinformatics tools and molecular biology techniques involving RT-PCR, semi-nested PCR, sequencing and qPCR, we have identified three novel transcript variants of Arnt gene in mouse. All three new transcripts arise as a result of alternative splicing of newly identified exons with exon-E2, replacing reported exon-E1. These transcripts encode for three protein isofoms having different N-termini. The expression of these transcripts was found to be different in different tissues of adult mice. In silico analysis of the upstream region of the new exons revealed three distinct promoter regions designated as PA, PB and PC present upstream of newly identified exons. These promoters possess potential signature sequences for common as well as different transcription factors suggesting complex regulation of Arnt gene. In silico post translational studies of the conceptually translated amino acid sequences of these transcripts show similarity in some of the properties while differ in others. The diversity at N-termini of protein isoforms suggests the possibility of forming different complexes in different tissues and may also be important for unique interactions with partner molecules.

Redox cycling of endogenous copper by ferulic acid leads to cellular DNA breakage and consequent cell death: A putative cancer chemotherapy mechanism.

Ferulic acid (FA) is a plant polyphenol showing diverse therapeutic effects against cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. FA is a known antioxidant at lower concentrations, however at higher concentrations or in the presence of metal ions such as copper, it may act as a pro-oxidant. It has been reported that copper levels are significantly raised in different malignancies. Cancer cells are under increased oxidative stress as compared to normal cells. Certain therapeutic substances like polyphenols can further increase this oxidative stress and kill cancer cells without affecting the proliferation of normal cells. Through various in vitro experiments we have shown that the pro-oxidant properties of FA are enhanced in the presence of copper. Comet assay demonstrated the ability of FA to cause oxidative DNA breakage in human peripheral lymphocytes which was ameliorated by specific copper-chelating agent such as neocuproine and scavengers of ROS. This suggested the mobilization of endogenous copper in ROS generation and consequent DNA damage. These results were further validated through cytotoxicity experiments involving different cell lines. Thus, we conclude that such a pro-oxidant mechanism involving endogenous copper better explains the anticancer activities of FA. This would be an alternate non-enzymatic, and copper-mediated pathway for the cytotoxic activities of FA where it can selectively target cancer cells with elevated levels of copper and ROS.

Redox cycling of Cu(II) by 6-mercaptopurine leads to ROS generation and DNA breakage: possible mechanism of anticancer activity.

6-Mercaptopurine (6MP) is a well-known purine antimetabolite used to treat childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia and other diseases. Cancer cells as compared to normal cells are under increased oxidative stress and show high copper level. These differences between cancer cells and normal cells can be targeted to develop effective cancer therapy. Pro-oxidant property of 6MP in the presence of metal ions is not well documented. Redox cycling of Cu(II) to Cu(I) was found to be efficiently mediated by 6MP. We have performed a series of in vitro experiments to demonstrate the pro-oxidant property of 6MP in the presence of Cu(II). Studies on human lymphocytes confirmed the DNA damaging ability of 6MP in the presence of Cu(II). Since 6MP possesses DNA damaging ability by producing reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the presence of Cu(II), it may also possess apoptosis-inducing activity by involving endogenous copper ions. Essentially, this would be an alternative and copper-dependent pathway for anticancer activity of 6MP.

Studying non-covalent drug-DNA interactions.

Drug-DNA interactions have been extensively studied in the recent past. Various techniques have been employed to decipher these interactions. DNA is a major target for a wide range of drugs that may specifically or non-specifically interact with DNA and affect its functions. Interaction between small molecules and DNA are of two types, covalent interactions and non-covalent interactions. Three major modes of non-covalent interactions are electrostatic interactions, groove binding and intercalative binding. This review primarily focuses on discussing various techniques used to study non-covalent interactions that occur between drugs and DNA. Additionally, we report several techniques that may be employed to analyse the binding mode of a drug with DNA. These techniques provide data that are reliable and simple to interpret.

Deciphering the interactions between chlorambucil and calf thymus DNA: a multi-spectroscopic and molecular docking study.

Non-covalent interactions of chlorambucil with calf thymus DNA was investigated using multi-spectroscopic techniques and molecular docking study. Binding constant calculated was found to be 1.54×10(4)M(-1) at 290K, significantly lower than various known intercalators. Quenching process was found to be static as evident by biomolecular quenching constant. Thermodynamic parameters revealed the involvement of hydrophobic interactions and hydrogen bonds in the binding. Chlorambucil was found to interact via external binding mode and follow groove binding as it replaces Hoechst (a typical groove binder) from the groove of DNA but does not replace intercalating dyes including ethidium bromide and acridine orange from the DNA helix. These results were further supported by KI quenching experiments, DNA melting studies, CD spectroscopy and molecular docking.

Ibuprofen causes photocleavage through ROS generation and intercalates with DNA: a combined biophysical and molecular docking approach.

Ibuprofen is an important nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug endowed with various pharmacological and biological activities. In the present study, the photochemical properties of ibuprofen were evaluated by assaying the generation of various reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as superoxide, singlet oxygen and the hydroxyl radical. ROS generated by ibuprofen in the presence of white light causes DNA strand scission as observed by plasmid nicking assay. Ibuprofen induced ROS generation is also capable of causing DNA degradation in lymphocytes as observed by photocomet assay. ROS generation properties of ibuprofen were further strengthened by the formation of carbonyl groups in BSA and TBARS in linoleic acid as observed by carbonyl assay and lipid peroxidation assay respectively. We have also investigated the mode of interaction of ibuprofen with calf thymus DNA through a series of in vitro experiments. UV-visible spectroscopy established the formation of a complex between ibuprofen and Ct DNA. The steady state fluorescence experiments at different temperatures revealed a binding constant of ∼10(4) L mol(-1), which is indicative of intercalative binding between ibuprofen and the DNA helix. Analysis of the various thermodynamic parameters ΔG, ΔH and ΔS calculated at different temperatures indicated that the hydrogen bonds played a major role in the interaction. The intercalative binding mode is further confirmed by competitive displacement assays, urea denaturation, iodide quenching, viscosity measurements and CD analysis. In silico molecular docking revealed the binding of ibuprofen within the GC base pairs of DNA, confirming the intercalative binding mode.

Recent advances in the role of neutrophils and neutrophil extracellular traps in acute pancreatitis.

Pancreatitis is an inflammatory disease, which is triggered by adverse events in acinar cells of the pancreas. After the initial injury, infiltration of neutrophils in pancreas is observed. In the initial stages of pancreatitis, the inflammation is sterile. It has been shown that the presence of neutrophils at the injury site can modulate the disease. Their depletion in experimental animal models of the acute pancreatitis has been shown to be protective. But information on mechanism of contribution to inflammation by neutrophils at the injury site is not clear. Once at injury site, activated neutrophils release azurophilic granules containing proteolytic enzymes and generate hypochlorous acid which is a strong microbicidal agent. Additionally, emerging evidence shows that neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are formed which consist of decondensed DNA decorated with histones, proteases and granular and cytosolic proteins. NETs are considered mechanical traps for microbes, but there is preliminary evidence to indicate that NETs, which constitute a special mechanism of the neutrophil defence system, play an adverse role in pancreatitis by contributing to the pancreatic inflammation and distant organ injury. This review presents the overall current information about neutrophils and their role including NETs in acute pancreatitis (AP). It also highlights current gaps in knowledge which should be explored to fully elucidate the role of neutrophils in AP and for therapeutic gains.

Increased expression of HPV-E7 oncoprotein correlates with a reduced level of pRb proteins via high viral load in cervical cancer.

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common cause of sexually transmitted diseases and causes a wide range of pathologies including cervical carcinoma. Integration of the HR-HPV DNA into the host genome plays a crucial role in cervical carcinoma. An alteration of the pRb pathways by the E7 proteins is one of the mechanisms that's account for the transforming capacity of high-risk papillomavirus. For the proper understanding of the underline mechanism of the progression of the disease, the present study investigate the correlation of concentration of host pRb protein, viral E7 oncoprotein and viral load in early and advanced stages of cervical carcinoma. It was found that the viral load in early stages (stage I and II) was less (log10 transformed mean value 2.6 and 3.0) compared to advanced stages (stage III and IV) (Log10 transformed value 5.0 and 5.8) having high expression of HPV E7 onco-protein and reduced level of pRb protein, signifying the role of viral load and expression level of E7 oncoprotein in the progression of cervical cancer.

Investigating the mechanism of binding of nalidixic acid with deoxyribonucleic acid and serum albumin: a biophysical and molecular docking approaches.

Nalidixic acid is a bacterial DNA gyrase inhibitor and the first member of the synthetic quinolone antibiotics. It is used in the treatment of various infectious diseases like urinary tract infections, respiratory infections, sexually transmitted diseases, acute bronchitis, and sinusitis. Interactions studies are of great significance as it will be beneficial for designing new therapeutic molecules with preferable plasma solubility and its efficacy. In this paper, we have aim to ascertain the binding mode of nalidixic acid with calf thymus DNA (ct-DNA) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) through various biophysical and in silico method. UV-visible absorption and fluorescence spectroscopic experiments confirmed the formation of a complex between nalidixic acid with ct-DNA. The binding constant is in the range of 103 M-1, indicating the groove binding mode between ct-DNA and nalidixic acid. Groove binding mode was also validated by competitive displacement assay, potassium iodide quenching experiment, circular dichroism, DNA melting studies. In the case of BSA, UV-visible absorption and fluorescence spectroscopic experiments confirmed the formation of a complex between nalidixic acid with BSA. The value of a binding constant in the case of BSA was found to be 1.517 × 105 M-1. The site marker displacement experiment revealed the binding location of nalidixic acid to a site I in BSA. Secondary structural and microenvironmental changes also studied through circular dichroism and three-dimensional fluorescence. Furthermore, the synchronous fluorescence spectra of BSA with nalidixic acid showed that there were changes in the microenvironment around tryptophan residues. In silico molecular docking further confirmed the binding of nalidixic acid to site I in BSA and the minor groove of DNA.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Differentially expressed novel alternatively spliced transcript variant of tumor suppressor Stk11 gene in mouse.

Serine/threonine kinase 11 (STK11) is a protein kinase that is encoded by Stk11 gene located on chromosome 19 and 10 in humans and mouse respectively. It acts as a master kinase of adenine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway that coordinates the regulation of cellular energy metabolism and cell division. STK11 exerts effect by activating more than 14 kinases including AMPK and AMPK-related kinases. It is also known to regulate cell polarity and acts as tumor suppressor. Alternative splicing of pre-mRNA is a mechanism which results in multiple transcript variants of a single gene. In human, two STK11 isoforms have been reported, an alternatively spliced isoform which has variation at its C-terminal and mostly expressed in testis (LKB1S). Another isoform exhibiting oncogenic properties lacks few residues at its N-terminal (ΔN-LKB1). In the present study, we report the identification of a new transcript variant Stk11N which is generated through alternative splicing. The new variant was found to have differential and tissue specific expression at Postnatal-7 and adult stages of mouse. As compared to the known variant Stk11C, the conceptually translated amino acid sequences of the new variant differ from exon-E2 onwards. In silico post translational studies of the new and published variant show similarity in some of the properties while differ in properties like nuclear export signals, phosphorylation, glycosylation, etc. Thus, alternative splicing of Stk11 gene generating new variant with heterogeneous properties suggests for complex regulation of these variants in controlling the AMPK pathway and other functions.

Caffeic acid binds to the minor groove of calf thymus DNA: A multi-spectroscopic, thermodynamics and molecular modelling study.

Caffeic acid (CA) is a plant polyphenol which acts as an antioxidant and has various pharmacological effects. DNA is one of the major cellular targets of therapeutic molecules. Thus, studying the interaction of small molecules with DNA is of great importance. In the current article, we have studied the mode of binding of CA with calf thymus DNA (Ct-DNA) using a series of biophysical techniques. Formation of complex between CA and Ct-DNA is ascertained by analyzing the UV-vis absorbance and fluorescence emission spectra of CA upon successive addition of Ct-DNA. Binding constants of CA with Ct-DNA obtained using multiple experiments was in the order of 103 M-1 which is consistent with known groove binders. Analysis of thermodynamic parameters suggest that hydrogen bonding and van der Waal's forces played major role in the binding process. Competitive displacement studies confirmed that CA binds to the minor groove of Ct-DNA. These observations were further validated by KI quenching experiment, DNA melting studies, CD and viscosity measurements. In silico molecular docking further provided insight into the mode of binding of CA with Ct-DNA. Through in vitro experiments and in silico molecular docking studies, it was concluded that CA binds to the minor groove of Ct-DNA.

Interaction of indomethacin with calf thymus DNA: a multi-spectroscopic, thermodynamic and molecular modelling approach.

Indomethacin belongs to the acetic acid derivative class of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs with diverse pharmacological and biological activities. Understanding the mechanism of interaction of drugs with possible target and off-target biomolecules can prove useful in the development of a rational drug designing system. In this paper, we have attempted to ascertain the mode of binding of indomethacin with calf thymus DNA (Ct-DNA) through various biophysical techniques and in silico molecular docking. Analysis of the UV-visible absorbance spectra and fluorescence emission profile of indomethacin upon addition of Ct-DNA indicates the formation of a drug-DNA complex. UV-visible absorbance and steady state fluorescence experiments revealed a binding constant on the order of 103 L mol-1, which is consistent with those of well-known groove binders. Competitive displacement studies with ethidium bromide, acridine orange and Hoechst 33258 further suggested that indomethacin binds to the minor groove of the Ct-DNA. The above observations were further confirmed by KI induced quenching experiments, DNA melting studies, CD spectral analysis and viscosity measurements. The thermodynamic parameters like spontaneous free energy (ΔG < 0) and large favourable enthalpy (ΔH < 0) obtained from isothermal calorimetry indicated the involvement of hydrogen bonding and van der Waals forces in the binding process. Molecular docking further corroborated the experimental results.

NSAIDs Induced Regulation of Alternatively Spliced Transcript Isoforms: Possible Role in Cancer and Alzheimer Disease.

BACKGROUND: Alternative splicing is one of the post transcriptional modifications through which multiple mRNA isoforms are produced from any gene, also known as splice variants. These are expressed in tissue and developmental stage specific manner that are important during the development. Most human genes undergo alternative splicing, thus contributing to the diversity of proteins. However, many abnormal splicing processes may result in human diseases. Non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are medications that act as analgesics, anti-pyretics and antiinflammatory by affecting Cox genes and their products. Usually NSAIDs cause gastrotoxicity however, isozyme-specific NSAIDs exhibit a comparatively reduced gastrotoxic effect. Such NSAIDs have a broader range of application particularly as chemo-preventive drugs. It is known that changes at the active site of an enzyme may illicit a diverse range of responses. Such changes might explain the underlying reason as to why patients appear to respond differently to different NSAIDs. METHODS: An extensive literature search has been carried out using Pubmed and web of science databases considering the papers in last 10 years mainly on alternative splicing and NSAIDs. CONCLUSION: We have reviewed in detail the insight into the action of NSAIDs targeting specific isoforms of different genes. In future, the complete understanding of NSAIDs associated genes and their expression studies may be helpful in generating drugs with increased specificity.

Identification and expression analysis of alternatively spliced new transcript isoform of Bax gene in mouse.

Bax, a pro-apoptotic member of Bcl-2 family regulates apoptosis through homodimerization/heterodimerization with Bcl-2. Bax-α is the only product of the Bax gene that has been extensively studied. Bax-α exists in inactive form and several conformational changes are required during apoptosis to activate it. Here, we have identified a novel transcript variant of Bax gene in mouse which contains alternatively spliced new first exon that is different from the first exon of previously reported transcript. Conceptual translation of new transcript encodes a protein (Bax-α1), having different N-terminus. The existence of the new transcript variant was confirmed by reverse transcriptase-PCR, semi-nested PCR using primers designed for the newly identified transcript variant. The identity of PCR product obtained after semi-nested PCR was confirmed by DNA sequencing. Relative expression of new transcript variant with respect to reported transcript was also studied with the help of real time PCR. The existence of new transcript variant was further supported by the presence of clusters of overlapping ESTs from the database. Bax-α1 possibly displays heterogeneous properties as predicted by post-translational modification analysis tools. The differences in post-translational modifications might play important roles in divergent function of the new isoform. The three dimensional structure was generated by homology modelling to visualize the differences at N termini of known and newly identified variant.

A novel exon generates ubiquitously expressed alternatively spliced new transcript of mouse Abcc4 gene.

Abcc4 gene codes for a protein (ABCC4) involved in the transportation of different classes of drugs outside the cells. Various important drugs transported by ABCC4 include antiviral and anticancer drugs as well as endogenous molecules such as bile acids, cyclic nucleotides, folates, prostaglandins and steroids. Alternative splicing generates multiple mRNAs that encode protein isoforms having diverse functions. In this study, we have identified a novel transcript of mouse Abcc4 gene using a combination of bioinformatics and molecular biology techniques. This transcript was found to be different from the reported transcript in having a different first exon that was found to be located on previously identified first intron. Newly identified transcript was found to be expressed across different tissues we studied and in different developmental stages. Expression level of novel and reported transcripts was studied using quantitative real-time PCR. After conceptually translating the novel transcript, various post-translational modifications were studied. Translation efficiency and predicted half life of encoded protein isoforms were analysed in silico. Molecular modelling was performed to compare the structural differences in both isoforms. The diversity at N-termini in these protein isoforms explains the diverse function of ABCC4 in mouse.